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[KIMARUS]
Kimarus shewes howe for his euill life he was deuoured by wilde beastes, the yeare before Christ 321.
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[See p. 249 for this lenvoy as rewritten in 1587 to serve as a link between the tragedies of Porrex and Pinnar.]
No place commends the man, vnworthy prayse:
No title of estate, doth stay vp vices fall:
No wicked wight, to woe can make delayes:
No loftye lookes preserues the proude at all:
No bragges or boaste, no stature high and tall:
No lofty youth, no swearing, staringe stoute:
No brauery, banding, cogging, cutting out.
No title of estate, doth stay vp vices fall:
No wicked wight, to woe can make delayes:
No loftye lookes preserues the proude at all:
No bragges or boaste, no stature high and tall:
No lofty youth, no swearing, staringe stoute:
No brauery, banding, cogging, cutting out.
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Then what auayles, to haue a princely place:
A name of honour, or an highe degree:
To come by kinred, of a noble race:
Except wee princely, worthy, noble bee:
The fruite declares the goodnes of the tree.
Do bragge no more, of birth or linage than:
Sith vertue, grace, and maners make the man.
A name of honour, or an highe degree:
To come by kinred, of a noble race:
Except wee princely, worthy, noble bee:
The fruite declares the goodnes of the tree.
Do bragge no more, of birth or linage than:
Sith vertue, grace, and maners make the man.
My selfe might bragge and first of all begin,
Mulmutius made and constituted lawes:
And Belinus and Brenne his sonnes did win,
Such praise their names to bee immortall cause.
Gurgunstus Redbearde with his sober sawes,
The sonne of Beline and my grandsyre grande:
Was fortunate what ere he toke in hande.
Mulmutius made and constituted lawes:
And Belinus and Brenne his sonnes did win,
Such praise their names to bee immortall cause.
Gurgunstus Redbearde with his sober sawes,
The sonne of Beline and my grandsyre grande:
Was fortunate what ere he toke in hande.
His sonne my grandsyre Guintheline did passe,
For virtues praise, and Martia was his wyfe,
A noble Queene that wise and learned was,
And gaue hir selfe to studye all hir life,
Deuising lawes, discust the endes of strife,
Amonge the Britaynes, to hir endlesse Fame:
Hir statutes had of Martian lawes the name.
For virtues praise, and Martia was his wyfe,
A noble Queene that wise and learned was,
And gaue hir selfe to studye all hir life,
Deuising lawes, discust the endes of strife,
Amonge the Britaynes, to hir endlesse Fame:
Hir statutes had of Martian lawes the name.
My father eke was sober, sage and wise,
Cicilius hight king Guintheline his sonne,
Of noble Princes then my stocke did rise:
And of a Prince of Cornewall first begonne,
But what thereby of glory haue I wonne?
Can this suffice to aunsweare eke for mee,
I came by parents of an highe degree?
Cicilius hight king Guintheline his sonne,
Of noble Princes then my stocke did rise:
And of a Prince of Cornewall first begonne,
But what thereby of glory haue I wonne?
Can this suffice to aunsweare eke for mee,
I came by parents of an highe degree?
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Or shall I saye Kimarus I was king?
Then might I liue as lewdely as I lust?
No sure I cannot so auoyde the stinge,
Of shame that prickes such Princes are vniust:
We rather should vnto our vertues trust,
For vertue of the auncient bloud and kin,
Doth onely praise the parties shees within.
Then might I liue as lewdely as I lust?
No sure I cannot so auoyde the stinge,
Of shame that prickes such Princes are vniust:
We rather should vnto our vertues trust,
For vertue of the auncient bloud and kin,
Doth onely praise the parties shees within.
And nobles onely borne, of this be sure,
Without the vertues of their noble race:
Do quite and cleane themselues thereby obscure,
And their renowne and dignities deface:
They do their birth, and linage all abace:
For why in deede they euer ought so well,
In vertues graue: as titles braue excell.
Without the vertues of their noble race:
Do quite and cleane themselues thereby obscure,
And their renowne and dignities deface:
They do their birth, and linage all abace:
For why in deede they euer ought so well,
In vertues graue: as titles braue excell.
But oft (God wot) they fare as erst did I,
They thincke if once they come of Princelye stocke:
Then are they placed safe, and sure so hye
Aboue the rest as founded on a rocke.
Of wise mens warnings all they make a mocke:
Theyr counsayles graue, as abiect reedes despise:
And count the braue, men gracious, worthy wise.
They thincke if once they come of Princelye stocke:
Then are they placed safe, and sure so hye
Aboue the rest as founded on a rocke.
Of wise mens warnings all they make a mocke:
Theyr counsayles graue, as abiect reedes despise:
And count the braue, men gracious, worthy wise.
This kingdome came to mee by due discent,
For why my father was before mee kinge:
But I to pleasure all and lust was bent,
I neuer reckt of Iustice any thinge:
What purpose I did meane to passe to bringe,
That same t'accomplishe I withall my might
Endeuorde euer, were it wronge or right,
For why my father was before mee kinge:
But I to pleasure all and lust was bent,
I neuer reckt of Iustice any thinge:
What purpose I did meane to passe to bringe,
That same t'accomplishe I withall my might
Endeuorde euer, were it wronge or right,
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I deemde the greatest ioyes, in earthly hap:
I thought my pleasures euer would abide:
I seemde to sit, in Ladye Fortunes lap:
I reckt not all the world, me thought beside:
I did by lust my selfe, and others guide:
Whereby the fates to worke my bane withall,
And cut me of, thus wise procurde my fall.
I thought my pleasures euer would abide:
I seemde to sit, in Ladye Fortunes lap:
I reckt not all the world, me thought beside:
I did by lust my selfe, and others guide:
Whereby the fates to worke my bane withall,
And cut me of, thus wise procurde my fall.
As I was alwayes bent to hunting still,
(Yet hunting was no vice to those I had)
When I three yeares had rulde this realme at wil,
In chace a chaunce did make my harte full sad:
Wilde cruell beastes as desperate and mad,
Turnde back on me, as I them brought to baye:
And in their rage, my sinfull corps did sley.
(Yet hunting was no vice to those I had)
When I three yeares had rulde this realme at wil,
In chace a chaunce did make my harte full sad:
Wilde cruell beastes as desperate and mad,
Turnde back on me, as I them brought to baye:
And in their rage, my sinfull corps did sley.
A iuste rewarde, for so vniust a life,
No worse a death, then I deserued yore.
Such wreckes in th'ende to wretches all are rife:
Who may and will not call for grace before.
My wilful deedes wer nought, what wilt thou more:
My wanton wildnesse, witlesse, heedelesse toyes:
By brutishe beastes bereaud me of my ioyes.
No worse a death, then I deserued yore.
Such wreckes in th'ende to wretches all are rife:
Who may and will not call for grace before.
My wilful deedes wer nought, what wilt thou more:
My wanton wildnesse, witlesse, heedelesse toyes:
By brutishe beastes bereaud me of my ioyes.
FINIS.
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The Authour.
On this Kimarus lefte me all alone,
And so did Morpheus, then I thought to reste:
But yet againe he came presenting one,
For audience likewyse making his requeste,
A worthy prince, he ware a warlike creste:
A blade in hande, he bloudy rusty bore,
Was all his harnesse from his shoulders tore.
And so did Morpheus, then I thought to reste:
But yet againe he came presenting one,
For audience likewyse making his requeste,
A worthy prince, he ware a warlike creste:
A blade in hande, he bloudy rusty bore,
Was all his harnesse from his shoulders tore.
His armes, and handes were all embrued in bloud,
So was his breste, but all the reste beside,
Seemde rayde with matter vyle, or slimy mud,
With red and yelow as it were bedide:
You scarcely could the sight therof abide:
Yet sithe he seemde some worthy wight to be,
It brought by farre lesse squemishnes to me.
So was his breste, but all the reste beside,
Seemde rayde with matter vyle, or slimy mud,
With red and yelow as it were bedide:
You scarcely could the sight therof abide:
Yet sithe he seemde some worthy wight to be,
It brought by farre lesse squemishnes to me.
LENUOY.
By this appeares that time in Britayne were
Aboundant store of wolues, and vices rife:
Mempricius tale the like doth witnesse beare,
And so doth Madans mangled end of life.
These though they scaped stout Bellonaes knife,
Yet in the end for vices foule they fell
By Wolues deuourde, mine Author so doth tell.
Aboundant store of wolues, and vices rife:
Mempricius tale the like doth witnesse beare,
And so doth Madans mangled end of life.
These though they scaped stout Bellonaes knife,
Yet in the end for vices foule they fell
By Wolues deuourde, mine Author so doth tell.
The glory vaine that fades and flits away,
Makes men so blinde, they looke not on the end:
Allurde to losse, on earthly pompe they stay,
But fewe to scale the vertue towres contend.
Fewe seeke, by Christ, the heauenly way to wend:
The onely causes why these Princes fell,
Are vices vile, as auncient authors tell.
Makes men so blinde, they looke not on the end:
Allurde to losse, on earthly pompe they stay,
But fewe to scale the vertue towres contend.
Fewe seeke, by Christ, the heauenly way to wend:
The onely causes why these Princes fell,
Are vices vile, as auncient authors tell.
Next after this, on stage a Prince appearde,
With slimye glere, and bloud beraide that came:
In hand a dagger drawne his foe that dearde
Hee bare perdy, and showde mee eke the same.
And thus his tale in order hee did frame
As shall ensue, so hee mee thought did tell
How hee was slaine, and slewe a monster fell.
With slimye glere, and bloud beraide that came:
In hand a dagger drawne his foe that dearde
Hee bare perdy, and showde mee eke the same.
And thus his tale in order hee did frame
As shall ensue, so hee mee thought did tell
How hee was slaine, and slewe a monster fell.
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